Mounting device for floral arrangements



July 9, 1963 E. TODD ETAL 3,097,079

MOUNTING DEVICE FOR FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS Filed July 15, 1960 FIG. 5 INVENTORS DORIS ETODD ALLEN A. WILLARD,SR.

ATTO NEY United States Patent 3,697,079 MOUNTING DEVICE FOR FLGRAL ARRANGEMENTS Doris E. Todd, 4251 Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, Calif., 23:11 Allen A. Willard, Sn, 82-491 Tahquitz St., Indio,

Filed July 13, 196i), Ser. No. 42,560 2 Claims. (Cl. 41-13) This invention relates to a mounting device for floral arrangements and, more particularly, to a novel device adapted to engage and retain natural or artificial flowers or the like in a corsage arrangement and integrally provided with means for applying and maintaining the device in contact with the clothes or skin of the wearer in any desired orientation of the flowers with respect to the wearer.

There have been many attempts in the past to provide a device adapted to retain flowers in a corsage-like arrangernent for attachment to the wearer. Such past attempts have been deficient in one or more aspects and, particularly, in their lack of flexibility :and adaptability in the types of floral arrangements, as desired. Of course, many corsages may be mounted in different positions with respect to the wearer. However, the basic arrangement of the flowers usually cannot be varied from the particular manner in which they are held by the device, thus limiting the desirable variations in position with respect to the wearer.

Furthermore, many attempts have been made to provide a suitable corsage holder having adequate means for re taining the corsage or bouquet onto the holder. Such means have included the use of a plurality of strings or wires which are wound or tied about the bouquet and secured to the holder as a base. Each holder of this variety is manufactured to a predetermined length and therefore does not lend itself easily to the accommodation of various sizes and shapes of corsages and the manufacturing process is sometimes cumbersome due to the fact that the plurality of strings or wires have a tendency to knot and tangle.

The present invention provides a relatively narrow, elongated, body strip composed of pliable, form-retaining metal having pairs of staggered arms of suflicient length extending from the body strip to partially or completely encircle and clamp a corsage or bouquet onto a relatively light supporting member which is adapted to be adhered to the clothes or skin of the wearer. Also, the device of the present invention may be manufactured by simple stamping operations and assembly of the component parts can be simply achieved by placing one part on top of another in layer fashion. The resultant device may be manufactured in suitable lengths and provided with detachment areas whereby holders of shorter lengths may be readily provided when required by merely cutting off a portion of the resultant article representing the desired length to accommodate the size and shape of the corsage.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel corsage holder having a pressure sensitive layer on the body of the holder whereby the body is of suflicient dimensions to support the weight of the corsage on the clothes or skin of a wearer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel corsage holder having a semi-rigid metal retaining strip supported on a flexible holder backing so that oooperating arms onthe strip may be readily bent over the corsage or bouquet such that the corsage or bouquet is readily supported on the backing md the retaining strip. The arms may also be bent to release or unolamp the corsage.

Still another object of the present invention is to pro- 3,997,079 Patented July 9, 1963 vide a novel corsage holder which is of a general configuration so that the holder may be selectively shortened to accommodate bouquets or corsages of different lengths and weights without having to provide a variety of different size holders and parts therefor.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel corsage holder wherein the manufacture thereof requires only stamping fabrication operations and simply part-on-part assembly without the necessity of providing holes or retention of holder elements component parts during assembly.

The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with .the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a preferred embodimerit of a corsage holding device in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the corsage holding device of FIGURE 1 taken in the direction of arrows 2-2;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the corsage holding device of FIGURE '1 showing a portion thereof removed to illustrate a device of shorter length;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the corsage holding device of FIGURE 4 having a portion removed to permit a device of shorter length;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevational view of the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1 showing its use in connection with several flowers in a corsage arrangement;

FIGURE 7 is a front view of the corsage holding device of FIGURE 6 taken in the direction of arrows 77; and

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view of the embodiment of FIGURE 7 taken in the direction of arrows 88 With reference to the drawings, there may be seen a support means, indicated generally by the arrow 10, comprising an upper layer :11 of preferably flexible material having an adhesive layer 12 on its underneath surface, and a lower layer 13 of preferably flexible material also having an adhesive layer 14 on its underneath surface. Generally, layers 11 and 12, as well as layers 13 and 14, will be available in the form of adhesive tape, preferably transparent. The adhesive layer 14 iscovered with a layer of non-adhesive material disposed in two portions 15 and .16 and joined at their respective pull-tabs 17 and 18 so that the user can readily removethe non-adhesive portion 15 and 16 by simply pulling the tabs .17 and :18 individually. The general configuration of the support means may be seen to be preferable with a greater length than width.

To offer suitable rigidity for the support means and to provide an attaching devicefor holding a corsage or bouquet onto the support means, there is provided a relatively narrow, an elongated, body strip '19 composed of pliable,

form-retaining metal having a plurality of staggered arms 20 extending from opposite sides of the body strip. The body strip has -a central portion which is disposed length- Wies between the adhesive layer 12 and the lower layer 13 so that their adhesion secures the body strip 19 therebetween with the plurality of arms 20 of the body strip extending outward from opposite sides of the body strip. It is to be noted that upper layer 11 is substantially nan rower than the width of the overall supporting means and layer 13 in particular. This arrangement permits the body strip arms .20 to extend on the surface of layer 13 exposed and adaptable for bending about an area where the arm joins the body strip unimpeded. Layer 11 not only extends over the parallel edges of the body strip but covers the opposite ends thereof as well.

As seen in FIGURE 1, the support means 10 is provided with a plurality of cut lines 21 extending laterally across the width of the support means including the body strip 19. The support means may be out along these lines to provide a corsage holder of shorter length than shown in FIGURE 1. Such arrangements are shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 whereby the holder of FIGURE 1 has been initially reduced in length by severing portion 22 from the main support means leaving portions 23 and 24 attached as shown in FIGURE 4. The embodiment of FIGURE 5 shows portion 24 severed from that of portion 23 by severing the support means along the out line. Inasmuch as the body strip :19 extends the full length of the support means, it has been found sometimes desirable to bend the support means back and forth to weaken the thin metal of the body strip to the point Where the strip will sever. Of course, the support member can be cut with scissors at other locations if a different size is desired.

As seen particularly in FIGURE 3, a corsage mounting device may be assembled in accordance with the present invention by a simple, inexpensive and labor-saving method comprising the steps of disposing a single body strip 19 on the surface of the supporting means and in particular on top of layer 13, followed by applying the adhesive layer 12 of layer 11 over the body strip so that adhesive layer 12 adheres to the body strip and to the layer 13 on opposite sides of the body strip so that the arms of the body strip will extend uncovered and exposed beyond the edges of layer 11. It has been found desirable to provide a suitable length of body strip arm so that the arm will project beyond even the edge margins of layer 13 so that the arms may be easily grasped and bent upward during assemblage with a corsage. Layers 1'1 and 13 may be pressed together so that the adhesive undersurface of the upper layer 11 will cause adhesion of the two layers :11 and 13 with the body strip 19 secured therebetween for the provision of a unitary support means with flower-retaining arms extending therefrom.

Referring to FIGURE 6, a corsage arrangement is shown in which three flowers are secured in an in-line arrangement. The stem 27 of the upper bloom 28 is secured by all of the pairs of staggered arms 20, the stem 29 of the middle bloom 30 is secured by the middle pair .of arms of the body strip while the stem 3-1 of the lower blossom 32 is held by just the lower pair of arms 20 of the body strip 19. It is to be noted that the folded arms, as shown in FIGURE 7, about the stems of the blooms do not overlap but fold adjacent one another without interference of binding. This is achieved through the provision of staggered opposite arms of each pair extending from opposite sides of the body strip.

The device may be positioned upon the wearer either in the vertical orientation which is shown in FIGURE 6 or horizontally or in any other angular relationship, as desired. The disposition of the bloomswith respect to each other may also be varied. The stems of the flowers, particularly in the case of artificial flowers, may be twisted, bent or otherwise convoluted about each other.

Thereby, it is seen that the device of the present invention provides an improved and novel corsage holding device which may be manufactured in production lots of a given length wherein corsage holding devices of shorter lengths may be readily achieved by cutting off the holder at provided areas in order to accommodate lesser floral arrangements. Another feature resides in the fact that the bending of the arms arranged in a staggered relationship on opposite sides of the body strip provides a simple means of retention for the floral arrangement on the holding device which does not require a twisting or tying operation which normally damages the blossoms in the floral arrangement or otherwise may disarrange the blooms. Such a retention device as the present invention employs is neat and does not interfere with the floral arrangement design. Furthermore, the corsage holding device of the present invention may be easily disassembled and the floral arrangement removed.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all of such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for mounting an ornamental article, and the like, having stems, comprising:

a first, relatively-wide layer of relatively-pliable material having substantially rectilinear configuration and a length substantially longer than its width;

a second, rectilinear layer of relatively-pliable material having its length substantially equal to the length of said first layer, adhesively secured to said first layer so as to overlie said first layer; and

an elongated strip of bendable, form-retaining material substantially narrower than said first layer adhesively secured along its entire length between said first and second layers and having a plurality of arms extending transversely from opposite longitudinal side edges of said strip so as to extend exteriorly of said second layer, said second layer, where the arms extended from the strip, being of a width substantially equal to the width of the elongated strip, said arms being bendable back on said strip and along said opposed longitudinal edges thereof so as to be wrappable around stems of an ornamental article for retaining the ornamental article on said device, said arms being initially in relatively fiat, coplanar relationship to said strip prior to being bent back.

2. A device for mounting an ornamental article having stems, comprising:

a first, relatively-wide layer of relatively-pliable material, having a substantially rectilinear configuration and a length substantially longer than its width;

a second, rectilinear layer of relatively-pliable material having its length substantially equal to the length of said first layer, adhesively secured to said first layer so as to overlie said first layer; and

an elongated strip of bendable, form-retaining material substantially narrower than said first layer adhesively secured along its entire length between said first and second layers and having a plurality of arms extending transversely from opposite longitudinal edges of said strip and in staggered relationship to each other along each of said longitudinal edges so as to extend exteriorly of said second layer, said second layer, where the arms extend from the strip, being of a width substantially equal to the width of the elongated strip, said arms being bendable back over said strip and along said opposite longitudinal edges thereof to wrap around one or more stems of an ornamental article for retaining said article on said device, said arms being initially in relatively-flat, gopllfnar relationship to said strip prior to being bent References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A DEVICE FOR MOUNTING AN ORNAMENTAL ARTICLE, AND THE LIKE, HAVING STEMS, COMPRISING: A FIRST, RELATIVELY-WIDE LAYER OF RELATIVELY-PLIABLE MATERIAL HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY RECTINLLINEAR CONFIGURATION AND A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY LONGER THAN ITS WIDTH; A SECOND, RECTILINEAR LAYER OF RELATIVELY-PLIABLE MATERIAL HAVING ITS LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF SAID FIRST LAYER, ADHESIVELY SECURED TO SAID FIRST LAYER SO AS TO OVERLIE SAID FIRST LAYER; AND AN ELONGATED STRIP OF BENABLE, FORM-RETAINING MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY NARROWER THAN SAID FIRST LAYER ADHESIVELY SECURED ALONG ITS ENTIRE LENGTH BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND LAYERS AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF ARMS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY FROM OPPOSITE LONGITUDINAL SIDE EDGES OF SAID STRIP SO AS TO EXTEND EXTERIOTLY OF SAID SECOND LAYER, SAID SECOND LAYER, WHERE THE ARMS EXTENDED FROM THE STRIP, BEING OF A WIDTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE WIDTH OF THE ELONGATED STRIP, SAID ARMS BEING BENDABLE BACK ON SAID STRIP AND ALONG SAID OPPOSED LONGITUDINAL EDGES THEREOF SO AS TO BE WRAPPABLE AROUND STEMS OF AN ORNAMENTAL ARTICLE FOR RETAINING THE ORNEMENTAL ARTICLE ON SAID DEVICE, SAID ARMS BEING INTIALLY IN RELATIVELY FLAT, COPLANAR RELATIONSHIP TO SAID STRIP PRIOR TO BEING BENT BACK. 